This invention relates generally to the art of tire retreading, and in particular to an apparatus for stripping excess rubber from a worn tire before new tread is applied to the tire carcass. In the retreading of tires, the unworn tread material is removed to provide a suitable surface for receiving a strip of new tread material. One common prior art tread removal apparatus consisted of a rapidly rotating rasp wheel which tended to generate copious amounts of fine rubber particles which constituted an operator health hazard.